Monday, May 7, 2012

Avengers

Avengers
was not universally a success. Some characters were flat and stiff the entire
film (Scarlett) while others just flowed (Downy, Renner). The jokes and comical
bits had such an obnoxious, labored, setup it was almost intolerable.
Thankfully the punch-lines were funny enough to carry how heavy-handed the
writing got. Characters leave essentially the same, with maybe a minor tweak or
a new buddy. But oh!, that final battle! Chest pounding, roar stifling (I was
moved but I doubt public tolerance would extend to me screaming in the theater),
action due to brilliant cinematography, and I especially applaud making every
member of the squad useful through the major action, with Hulk stealing the
entire film.

Rather than remove each facet for inspection, I'll keep in the spirit of breezy and fun with just the highlights (for me).

HULK

Hulk
was riveting. Hulk made every single scene he was in the best of the film,
until he upped himself in his next scene. His jokes were the funniest. His
physical comedy killed. Hulk was mesmerizing. Silly hyperbole from a zealot? No
no. I do like Hulk. I identify with his powers. But his powers mesh so
perfectly with the viewing experience. As the action ramps up, I get more
pumped, and thus a connection. It’s easier to imagine swatting a Space Chariot
to bits than any other power on display in the film. It’s the most direct as
well. Not even the Captain really compares because the Captain has finesse. He
lands a punch or places a kick. The force and location are deliberate. Hulk
just throws himself around. The feel is not “incapacitate this foe”, it’s “get
me on him”. His rage bowls them over with almost no contact needed from Hulk.
The only thing I missed was from the first (recent) Hulk film. As Hulk fought
he’d grow. An ingenious touch that could actually elevate unbridled rage
further during the course of a fight. It also had a one-upsmenship quality,
allowing the Hulk to play the Confident Ass. The
new dimensions of his character make up for that loss. No longer at the
forefront of yoga techniques, Bruce Banner has been reimagined, and the reveal
is one line: “I’m always angry”. This is like Superman saying “smoke and
mirrors, really”. Bruce Banner is not suppressing Hulk. They are now two
personalities sharing the same body. Sharing, not fighting for control of. This
means Hulk can be a part of the story rather than a final plot device to clean
up. Everyone should be excited because this means more Hulk.

EVERYONE
USEFUL

Everyone
still had a part to play when the Final Battle began. And here’s the weird
thing… each role fit the character. I know! Hawkeye didn’t try to keep a
similar bodycount to Hulk. He can’t. Not even the Norse God could keep up (Hulk
STOLE THE SHOW). Hawkeye tracked enemy movements. He smartly observed their
weakness and passed it on to a team member who could exploit it. Holy Shit! Hah,
maybe the regular movie-goer isn’t blow away by this. It’s natural, right? What
the hell else would he do? This is not common knowledge to comic book artists.
When a fight starts, SPLASH PAGE, everyone punches something. That’s the fight.
I loved not having to mentally keep track of all the characters, as the
non-godlike ones got lost in a boring shuffle.

CINEMATOGRAPHYThere
is a tendency to portray fantastical action as though it were an equation. So unbelievable that only a straightforward presentation will suffice. The
shot is zoomed way out, gently tracking the hero, while their movement is catalogued.
That sorta works if I am physical in the same space as the incredible hero. But
only because "real" fires off strong chemicals in the brain. Anyway. Avengers did it right. The
cinematography tucked you right next to Iron Man as he flew through a busted
New York. The aftermath of each Hulk punch was properly obscured by the colossal
amount of debris loosed. And when some alien ran into Cap’s shield, you
could feel their world stop dead before it violently reversed. Ect. Point is,
living vicariously through a Superhero battle is exhilarating. Bravo.